1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balloon, and particularly, relates to a balloon constituted of two multilayered sheets, which are superimposed together with the other and melt-bonded at a peripheral portion thereof. The balloon according to the invention can keep its balance very well even in a case that a special film is provided thereon for printing a design, a drawing, or a pattern, etc. with the aid of a printer used at home, such as an ink jet type printer.
2. Prior Art
A rubber balloon or a balloon constituted of two multilayered sheets, which are superimposed together and melt-bonded at a peripheral portion thereof, is well known as a toy balloon. In such a balloon, a gas which is lighter than air, e.g. Helium gas, is injected to inflate the balloon and keep it drifting in the air so as to feast people""s eyes.
The multilayered sheet used for the balloon generally has a three-layered construction, i.e. polyethylene/nylon/aluminum in the order from inside to outside. Such a three-layered construction ensures the gas barrier characteristic (non-transmissive characteristic for gas) of a balloon, while keeping the weight of the balloon light enough. Such a multilayered sheet has its thickness of about 30 xcexcm (See FIG. 2(b)). On the surface of such balloons, colors or designs are appropriately made, which is carried out by a gravure printing method with a light-weight ink in order to prevent that the balance of posture of the balloon is upset due to the weight of the ink. According to the conventional technique, the balloon manufacturer prepares several types of balloons having a different design printed on the surface of the sheet several kinds of design so that customers can select the design according to their preference.
The manufacturer, however, has to preliminarily prepare the coloring or designing of the balloon, taking a fashion or a purpose for use into consideration. Therefore, the detail in the desire or the preference of individual customers cannot be realized on the surface of the balloon. It is possible to change the pattern of the gravure printing in accordance with a personal order of the customers; however, it is unpractical and the cost becomes very expensive, because the work therefor, such as preparing a block copy, is complicated. Therefore, it has long been desired so that individual customers can arbitrarily print their own design on the surface of the balloon with the aid of a printer used at home, such as an ink jet type printer. However, the multilayered sheet for use in balloons has water proof properties on its surface, so that a water base ink used in the printers at home cannot be fixed on the sheet.
On the other hand, a technique is developed to form a film which accepts a water base ink on a resin or metal surface which has a water-proofed properties and to fix the ink via the film. The film comprises a first layer which fixes to the resin or metal and a second layer which fixes to the first layer and has a water absorption properties. This film, therefore, can accept the water base ink used in the home printers, such as an ink jet type printer, and if the water base ink acceptable film is provided on the surface of the multilayered sheet of balloons, individual customers arbitrary could print their own designs on the surface of balloons with the aid of an ink jet type printer. However, there still is a problem that when such a film is formed on the surface of the balloon, the balloon would be tilted due to the weight of the films and thus the balloon does not keep its posture properly.
Further, if customers wish to put an ornament such as a design sticker or a photo on the surface of the balloon, in such a case, there also is a problem that the balloon is tilted downwardly at the side where the ornament is attached, due to the weight of the ornament itself.
The present invention has for its purpose to provide a balloon that does not incline and can keep an appropriate balance even when the film for printing designs is provided with the aid of a printer, or a photo or a design sticker is attached on the surface of the balloon.
The balloon according to the invention comprises first and second multilayered sheets which are superimposed together and melt-bonded at a peripheral portion thereof, wherein a film for accepting an ink supplied from a printer is provided on at least a part of an outer surface of said first multilayered film and wherein the first multilayered sheet is arranged to be lighter than the second multilayered sheet by a weight substantially equivalent to that of said film formed on the outer surface of the first multilayered sheet. According to the invention, customers of the balloon can print their own personal design on the film provided on the outer surface of the balloon arbitrarily, and the balloon does not incline after Helium gas is injected thereinto, because it is well balanced by the difference in weight between the first and second multilayered sheets and the weight of the film provided on the surface of the first multilayered sheet, so that the design printed on the film can be kept to face a horizontal direction.
The balloon according to the invention has another aspect that the balloon comprises first and second multilayered sheets which are superimposed together and melt-bonded at a peripheral portion thereof, and an ornament, such as a sticker or a photo, provided on an outer surface of said first multilayered sheet, and the first multilayered sheet is arranged to be lighter than the second multilayered sheet by a weight substantially equivalent to that of said ornament provided on the outer surface of said first multilayered sheet, so that the balloon can keep its direction when Helium gas is injected thereinto and then the ornament faces a horizontal direction as well.
It can be realized to make the first multilayered sheet lighter than the second multilayered sheet by a weight equivalent to that of the film or the ornament on the surface of the first multilayered sheet in such a way that the thickness and/or the construction of the first multilayered sheet is made different from that of the second multilayered sheet.
It may also be possible to arrange the balloon such that: another film (second film) for accepting an ink supplied from a printer is provided on the outer surface of the second multilayered sheet in addition to the film (first film) provided on the outer surface of the first multilayered sheet, and the weight of the first-multilayered sheet including the first film provided thereon becomes almost the same as that of the second-multilayered sheet including the second film provided thereon, so that the balloon can keep its direction when Helium gas is injected thereinto. It should be noted that this arrangement includes the following cases namely that: the first and second multilayered sheets have the same construction and the first and second sheets having the same weight are provided on the first and second multilayered sheets, respectively; and the first and second sheets, which have a different weight, are provided on the outer surfaces of the first and second multilayered sheets, respectively; however, the weight between the first and second multilayered sheets is balanced by preliminarily making a difference in weight between the first and the second multilayered sheets so as to correspond to the difference in weight of the first and second films formed on the sheets, respectively.
The balloon according to the invention has still another aspect that the balloon comprises first and second multilayered sheets being superimposed together and melt-bonded at a peripheral portion thereof and an ornament such as a sticker or a photo being provided on the outer surface of the first multilayered sheet and/or on the outer surface of the second multilayered sheet, wherein a film for accepting an ink supplied from a printer is provided on at least a part of said first multilayered sheet and/or at least a part of said second multilayered sheet, and wherein the balloon is arranged such that a total weight of the first multilayered sheet including said ornament thereon, or said ornament and the film thereon is almost the same as the total weight of the second multilayered sheet including said ornament thereon or said ornament and the film thereon so as to keep a posture of the balloon properly when Helium gas is injected thereinto.
This aspect shows a case that a sticker or a photo is attached at least to one of the outer surfaces of the first and second multilayered sheets and a film for accepting the ink supplied from a printer is provided on one or both of the first and second multilayered sheets; and a balance is kept in the posture of the balloon by making a difference in weight between the first and second multilayered sheets themselves as occasion demands. According to such a construction, in any case that the consumer arbitrarily prints a design on one of the outer surfaces of the first and second multilayered sheets and a photo or a sticker is attached on another outer surface thereof, or that a photo or a sticker is attached on one of the outer surfaces of the first and second multilayered films and a design is printed on the same surface where the photo or the sticker is attached; or that a photo or a sticker is attached both on the outer surfaces of the first and second multilayered sheets and a design is printed on the area left on the surfaces of the first and second multilayered sheets, the balloon can keep its balance so well that no inclination is caused.
It is preferred that at least the first multilayered sheet includes a layer made of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin. The xe2x80x9cEvalxe2x80x9d (registered trademark, available from Kuraray Co., Ltd.) can be preferably used as the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin. The product xe2x80x9cEvalxe2x80x9d is generally used for wrapping paper or wallpaper, etc. but the present inventor fixed his eyes upon a high gas barrier characteristic and an excellent processability of the xe2x80x9cEvalxe2x80x9d and applied it to the multilayered sheet for balloons, to make the multilayered sheet thinner and lighter than a normal multilayered sheet.